Coronavirus weekly need-to-know: Free beer, vaccine requirements, arthritis drug & more
Each week, we offer you a round-up of our noteworthy coronavirus coverage.
More than 33.3 million people in the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Saturday afternoon, June 5, according to Johns Hopkins University. That includes more than 597,000 people who have died nationwide.
Globally, there have been more than 172.7 million confirmed cases of the highly infectious virus, with more than 3.7 million reported deaths.
More than 136.6 million Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of June 3 — about 41% of the total population, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracker shows. About 52% of adults and 49% of people aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated in the U.S.
Here’s what happened between May 28 and June 3.
Stressed about being back in crowds as COVID-19 restrictions ease?
Now that businesses like bars and restaurants have started to welcome more customers as more people get vaccinated and feel comfortable returning to some normal activities, some may not be ready to resume their pre-pandemic social life.
A survey from the American Psychological Association conducted in March found 49% of Americans, regardless of their vaccination status, would feel uneasy returning to “in-person interaction” after the pandemic.
Here’s what experts suggest for the stressed and nervous.
Yes, your employer can require you to get a COVID-19 vaccine
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released new guidelines for employers on requiring or encouraging workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19, which has been a hot topic as more Americans get vaccinated and as the federal government and companies work to increase the country’s vaccination rates.
There are no federal laws that prevent an employer from requiring employees who are physically in the workplace to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but there are exceptions.
Continue reading to learn everything you need to know.
COVID-19 variants have been renamed to avoid ‘stigmatizing’ labels
It has been common practice to name new diseases based on where they emerged, such as the Middle East respiratory syndrome, or Zika virus, dubbed after a forest in Uganda. But in recent years, public health officials have acknowledged that doing so fuels stigma and discrimination against those regions or people
Now, the WHO has officially renamed the coronavirus “variants of concern” and “variants of interest” — previously labeled with a series of numbers and letters by scientists but mostly referred to by the public by the region it was first discovered — using letters of the Greek alphabet.
Some people still face barriers to getting a COVID-19 vaccine
Disparities in COVID-19 vaccine distribution and uptake were apparent when the shots became available for Americans in December. But now that eligibility has expanded, those inequities have increased, especially in large cities and rural areas, according to a new report.
Adults living in counties with lower socioeconomic status and higher percentages of homes with children, single parents and people with disabilities aren’t getting vaccinated against COVID-19 as much as adults living in more well-off counties.
Researchers say people living in counties with low vaccination coverage “might experience unique challenges in accessing vaccination.”
Common arthritis drug may weaken COVID-19 vaccine responses
A small study on patients in New York and Germany found that a quarter of people who take a common drug for inflammatory types of arthritis mounted a weaker immune system response to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine than those not taking the medication.
For some, these “weaker” responses involved lower levels of antibodies, but most of the patients taking the drug failed to generate an adequate boost in other key immune system cells, called CD8+ killer T cells, that can help prevent coronavirus infection.
The drug, called methotrexate, is one of the most effective and widely used medications for inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, which affects about 1.3 million Americans; it’s also used to treat some forms of cancer.
Free beer ... only if U.S. hits a COVID-19 vaccination goal
Brewing company Anheuser-Busch promises to buy your next round of beer. But there’s a catch: The nation must hit a major milestone for COVID-19 vaccinations.
The brewer is teaming with the White House for its new initiative aimed at getting more Americans inoculated by July 4. Once the U.S. achieves President Joe Biden’s goal of getting 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated, the company said it will give a free beer to anyone 21 and older.
Lumber prices still sky-high amid COVID-19 shortage
Lumber prices have continued surging in response to supply shortages spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lumber scarcity matched with increased demand during the pandemic drove costs sky-high, which in turn has increased construction and housing costs and left government officials and those within the industry grappling with how to rebound supply and bring costs down.
Here’s what to know about the shortage.
This story was originally published June 4, 2021 at 7:17 AM.
